Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Must be listened to in its entirety!, , April 6, 2008
Gods of War
By Manowar
First off let me state that I had never heard of the band Manowar prior to a month or so ago when a friend of mine turned me on to a YouTube video that someone had put together using , "The Sons of Odin", as the theme. I was blown away by not only the power and skill of the musicians but by how their lyrics reached out and grabbed me in a way few ever do. I ordered the CD form Amazon after it took me a week, (and 20 gallons of fuel), to figure out that these guys are generally not found in your normal music outlets. Needless to say the CD was nothing I expected it to be. I was astonished how well done it was. Don't get me wrong, I've been listening to "Metal" music long before it ever had a name. "Gods of War" is an Epic Ballad of interlocking songs that , dare I say, tells a story. The style of the CD is similar to what Rick Wakeman used in the 1970's with "Myths & Legends of King Arthur & the Knights of the Round Table". Interestingly enough, the only track on the CD that I did not care for was the Bonus track, "Die for Metal". It seemed out of place and a bit juvenile compared to the rest of the CD. All and all I highly recommend this work. The only catch is you must listen to the CD in its entirety. This is not a work that can be looked at and judged by its individual songs. It must be taken as a whole, (minus the bonus track). The import version is musically the same as the domestic version.
On the down side, for you Heathens & Asatru out there, the Edda & Lore used in the lyrics is only marginally correct. But what the Hel, these guys are great musicians and not lore masters, they just kick butt!
In Frith,
Spence
"Sic gorgiamus allos subjectatos nunc"
M. Addams
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Very orchestral album, April 19, 2007
If you're new to Manowar, I suggest starting with the excellent "Kings of Metal" as a starting point, as that album is not only a superb sample of everything Manowar embodies, but it is one of their most diverse albums, with a little bit of everything.
If you're a long time Manowar fan, read on, and let me share my thoughts on their latest CD "Gods of War."
Overall, Manowar have not strayed from the musical path they created over 2 decades ago. What makes this album different is that it is far more symphonic than any of their other releases. While Manowar have always embraced classical music, this album is more like Rhapsody of Fire, with its Wagnerian choirs, string arrangements, French horns and church organ interludes. Not only is this evident on intros and instrumentals that adorn this CD, but the classical influence is present even on the `regular' tracks. What bothers me is the amount of narration on the album. Added up it's almost 10 minutes of talking (even if there's cool music and sound effects in the background). As they say on radio: "Less talk, more rock!" Also, Manowar albums have become less and less organic overall. I know the band are perfectionists (4 albums in the last 15 years says it all), but I think a lot of the songs are overproduced. I kind of miss the band's early/mid years, when they were very raw. But I guess some would call this progress and maturing artistically. Lyrically, I've always enjoyed the mythological element of Manowar's music. This is a concept album based on the Norse god of war: Odin.
Overture to the Hymn of the Immortal Warriors - A most excellent orchestral intro. Very much like an epic Hollywood film score, full of choirs, and strings and even an organ section in the middle!
The Ascension - Strangely enough after the lengthy opening track we get yet another orchestral intro. This includes a narration, Eric sings softly towards the end leading into:
King of Kings - This is the first real Metal track on the album. It's a lightning fast power metal/speed metal track in the style of "Black Wind, Fire & Steel," "Ride The Dragon," or "Outlaw."
Army of the Dead, Part I - This is a short acappela song with Eric harmonizing to himself. Nice little piece.
Sleipnir - After a short narration the songs kicks in, which is for me one of the highlights on the album. It's a little different (I imagine due to Karl Logan's input). It's another fast, power/speed metal type song, with a catchy chorus. The guitar solo is phenomenal!
Loki God of Fire - After a fast riff, which is probably the coolest riff on the album, the song kicks in, but surprisingly the song isn't a super-fast song with lots of double-bass as the riff would imply. It's still a cool, more upbeat song, with a great chorus.
Blood Brothers - This is the first ballad on the album, which continues in the fine tradition of Manwar ballads such as "Mountains," "Heart of Steel," & Master Of the Wind." While Blood Brothers doesn't quite achieve the greatness of the aforementioned songs, I like it a lot, because it's a different type of ballad. What I've always liked about Manowar's ballads is the fact that they're all very different from each other (up until "Courage"). Blood Brothers starts off with just strings & Eric's superb voice, then it adds some marching band type snare & guitars. For the chorus the song is almost like a power ballad, but the presence of the keyboards remains & adds an incredible ethereal vibe to the whole song. Nicely done! Lyrically it's also very uplifting.
Overture to Odin - Another orchestral instrumental. Once again it's very much like a Wagner piece mixed with an epic Hollywood filmscore. It's starts off with some haunting strings, and becomes grandiouse as the track progresses.
The Blood of Odin - A spoken narration that serves as an intro to the next track. You'll probably be skipping this after a couple of listens.
Sons of Odin - This is cool, typical mid-tempo Manowar song, with some cool double-bass drums & a bombastic chorus. The song ends with yet some more narration, which features some cool orchestral music in the background.
Glory Majesty Unity - This is a reprise of The Warrior's Prayer, pretty much all narration (but spoken by a different narrator than the rest of the album). Once again, some cool background music, but you'll be bored of this easily.
Gods of War - This is a slow, almost doom metal type song, that we haven't heard the likes of since "Into Glory Ride." It's got some cool classical arrangements over the gloomy, slowly grinding riff.
Army of the Dead, Part II - Repise of part one, but it adds some instruments.
Odin - It starts off with a great riff by Karl, with some cool effects on his axe. This is also a slower, grinding tune. A fitting tribute to the Norse god of war indeed!
Hymn of the Immortal Warriors - This is the other (power) ballad on the album, which is nothing short of phenomenal! The classical instruments add some awesome texture, which allows Eric's voice to soar. A beautiful song, starting out quiet & haunting, then building to a grandiouse finale!
Die for Metal (Bonus Track) - I imagine this only became a "bonus track" because lyrically it doesn't fit in with the rest of the concept album. The lyrics are pretty Spinal Tap-ish, glorifying metal and such. Musically the guitar riff is reminiscent of Zeppelin's Kashmir. The song is a slow(er), pounding track that has a lot of crowd vocals, similar to Kings of Metal.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Record--Do NOT Let other reviews deter you , December 24, 2007
Many have negatively reviewed this record due to many factors. Before I get into that, let me just make a few things clear about Manowar. Many people stereotype Manowar as well as the Manowar fans. Though Manowar wear interesting outfits on stage (hey, Kiss did this in the 70's so Manowar took it a step further...I think the loin cloth think was not a bad idea), the Manowar guys are very talented musically. Eric has a 4+ octave voice, Joey can pound the bass, Karl can shred on guitar and Scott destroys the drums...everything a metal band MUST have! Many do not look beyond the loin cloths and truly analyze the music of Manowar. Many also believe that Manowar fans are only live in Europe and no American fan would appreciate their music. I am actually an American living in Los Angeles (hey, there are metal heads here), and I am still a big fan. now that we've gotten this cleared up, let's get to the record.
Gods of War is a very different album compared to Manowar's previous work. It contains less "Gloves of Metal" and more "Battle Hymn's"-esque music. The songs are entirely of an epic nature. If you like symphonic metal, this album is for you. Many dislike the use of narration in the album. I do admit, I do feel that some of the narration and overtures weigh the record down, but remember, the tracks on this album cannot be heard as individual songs as many bands do. Instead, the listener must keep in mind that this is somewhat of a thematic album (not a concept album) and must make sure that he or she listens to the album as one piece, and not 16 different pieces. If you keep this in mind when listening, the album is about 50 times better. Each "movement" of Gods of War, especially "Sleipnir" and the "Army of the Dead" movements are beautifully orchestrated and I really believe that this is one of Manowar's best works. I really like the fact that Manowar does not rely on the whole "Kings of Metal" thing on this album (though I still love Die for Metal). Not that I am saying there is anything wrong with metal anthems, its cool to see Manowar go beyond this. If you are a Manowar fan, you will like this album, no questions. If you like epic heavy/power metal or symphonic metal, this album really the next chapter in this type of music. If you like rock n'roll, this album has it. Overall, this record really is for everyone who enjoys true music. DEATH TO FALSE METAL!!!
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